Citroen - A A Feat By Itself
Selecting from the range of Citroen contract hire cars
One of the latest in the current range of Citroen cars is the C1 which is a highly economical and practical city car designed for the urban parking and traffic. Although being very compact the C1 still manages to offer ample of interior space for luggage and passengers as it efficiently utilizes the adaptable folding rear seats. You also have the choice of three doors and five door versions available for this 1.4 DHi or 1.0i diesel small but excellent vehicle.
Citroen C2 Contract Hire
As you move up the range of Citroen cars you will come across the C2 car which is practical yet a specious sporty car that is well suitable for cross country and city driving. There are a number of great features included in the car that include split tailgate, two diesel HDi engine or three gas engines to choose from including the high performance 1.6i 16V, 125 hp.
Citroen C3 Contract Hire
When you move ahead the next Citroen option is the C3 which is five doors elegant and spacious Citroen C3 car that offers a lot of driving fun and pleasure. The Citroen C3 also characterizes the French flair for its elegant and sleek styling that is cleverly combined with perfect high tech features. These high tech features includes SensoDrive transmission which utilizes the latest and contemporary in fuel saving start stop technology in order to help save the planet although saving your petrol expense.
Citroen C4 Contract Hire
Citroen was a brainchild of Andre Citroen. He converted the munition factory at Quai de Javel in Paris into a car factory in 1919. This factory was actually owned by him, where he used to produce armaments for France during the First World War. He wanted to put his factory, which was not producing anything after the war, to some good use. Andre was inspired to get into car manufacturing after being influenced by the industrial model developed by Henry Ford in America.
Andre Citroen had quite a few unique views. He thought about how a car could reach the common man. So he always wanted the cars to be produced in large numbers, hence reducing the costs and thus making them within the reach of the layman. But do not be mistaken, as his idea was to not only produce cars in hoards but to also maintain their quality and standard. With this goal in sight he started manufacturing the first car. The first car made was the Type A model. It was the first of its kind in Europe which was mass-produced, low cost, and yet very well equipped It is known to be the first French car with a left-hand drive. The logo of this company is the Ņdouble chevronÓ, for this too, Andre Citroen drew inspiration from his earlier business of gear cutting. The business included mass production of double helically cut gear teeth, which meshed together to form a chevron!
Andre Citroen was also a very good and concerned employer too. He realized that if his cars were to be the best then his employees too would have to be the best. And this required that they stayed in good health mentally and financially. He, in fact, raised the bar of employee facilities at his factory because he cared for them. Facilities like a dental surgery, a sick bay and even a cr¸che!
After the first car was made, Citroen suffered huge financial losses as it was sold at very low costs while at the same time its competitors were quickly getting newer cars into the market. Another reason for the losses suffered by Citroen was the innovation of the ŌTraction AvantÕ in 1934. It was the first mass produced front wheel drive car. Many automobile companies had ventured into this area but had failed due to several constraints. But Citroen emerged successful, only to be let down later on. As, though the traction was bold and beautiful, its production took a toll on the companies finances and the company was left to face the financial crunch.
Citroen did emerge from the losses for some time, but only to be hit once again, and reached an all time low in 1977. This was due to the weakening of the automobile market after the oil crisis in 1943. Around 1977 bankruptcy had hit Citroen. In the interest of the economy and the workers involved, the government of France initiated talks between Citroen and Peugeot. Thanks to these initiatives Peugeot bought 38% of Citroen and started making all the significant and crucial decisions for Citroen. In 1976 Peugeot went ahead and bought 90% stakes in Citroen. The company from then on, came to be called the PSA Peugeot Citroen. This company too had its share of ups and downs but emerged quickly from them and today is doing extremely well for itself.
All The cars produced by Citroen are renowned as practical and reliable.
The various popular models of this car are C2, C3, C4, C5, C6, C3 Pluriel, C4 Picasso, and Berlingo.
Let us acquaint ourselves with them one by one. The C2 was meant as a replacement for the Citroen Saxo. It is a supermini and comes in a 3-door hatchback version. The C3 was also meant to be a replacement for the Citroen Saxo and is a supemini too. It comes in a 2-door convertible or 5-door hatchback version. The C4 was a replacement for the CitroenÕs Xsara Picasso and has 3-door or 5-door hatchback options. The C5 is a huge family car. It comes in 5-door liftback or 5- door station wagon versions and was developed by the PSA group. The C6 is an executive car and was a replacement for the Citroen XM. Its bonnet has a special design and purpose-it pops up if a pedestrian or an animal is accidentally hit. It is an average size luxury car. The C3 Pluriel is one of the most innovative models made by Citroen. It is a convertible and another very practical car from Citroen. C4 Picasso is a five-seater hatchback model and again is an ideal family car. The Berlingo was meant as a replacement for the C15 and is a panel van.
Every model of the Citroen is a feat in itself and is highly original. For those who do not like their vehicle to be like every other car on the road, then perhaps a Citroen could be the right choice for them.
By Lance Dixon.
Visit the Blog about citroen ukCitro‘n C5
My eyes donÕt work any more. When I dial a number on my mobile, itÕs only through sheer blind luck that I get through to the right person. And as for texts Š forget it. Then thereÕs the bothersome business of going out to eat. Most restaurants provide mood lighting, which is wonderful if you are dining with a moose but not so wonderful if Š as is normal Š the menu is printed in the sort of typeface thatÕs usually seen on microdots. Mostly, I just point and hope that IÕve managed to miss the marzipan pie with grated butter beans.
Of course, I should go to the opticians but IÕm afraid this isnÕt possible because, before giving me a pair of spectacles, they will look into my eyes with machinery . . . and here we hit on the problem.
IÕm not a squeamish man. I am never unduly troubled by scenes on the news that the BBCÕs editorial policy unit has deemed worthy of a warning about Ņgraphic violence and bloodshedÓ. I can kill a chicken. I could amputate a gangrenous leg. I can even graze the internet and not be constantly fearful that IÕm going to be so revolted by something that pops onto the screen that IÕll vomit into the keyboard.
But eyes? No. I canÕt even think about them without going queasy. When my daughter needed an operation to correct a squint, the doctor explained the procedure to me, after which I had to be brought round with smelling salts. I have to fast-forward Ņthat bitÓ in Kill Bill 2, and I have never once used eyedrops. It would be impossible.
As a result of all this, I buy my reading glasses from the only shops I ever visit, which are in airport departure lounges. This is not easy because the instructions you have to follow before deciding what sort of lens you need are printed in a typeface smaller than most bacteria.
Consequently, I usually end up with a pair of specs that require me to position a book six seats in front of where IÕm sitting on the plane. Or so close to my face that it actually squashes my nose.
And hereÕs the really bad bit. The glasses you buy over the counter are a big joke Š one thatÕs being played by the Chinese, I expect. They are held together with nuts and bolts so small that when they come undone Š and they do, all the time Š you need a carbon nanotube to do them up again. And of course you donÕt have a carbon nanotube with you because youÕre on a plane, and such things Š along with shampoo and tennis rackets Š arenÕt allowed on planes. WhatÕs more, you donÕt even have your reading glasses because theyÕre in four pieces on your left knee.
I wouldnÕt mind, but even if you are not squeamish about eyes, and you make regular trips to the opticians and have a pair of lenses that are perfectly suited to your particular condition, you will look like an ocean-going idiot.
Everyone chooses their specs to make a statement Š to make them look interesting or sexy or wise Š whereas in fact all spectacles do is tell the world that your body doesnÕt work properly. Choosing purple frames merely highlights that fact. ItÕs like being diagnosed with erectile dysfunction and then buying trousers that have no fly.
So maybe the only solution is that we do without glasses and spend the rest of our lives with a headache from the strain, eating marzipan and butter beans. Or that the worlds of industry and catering accept that half of their customers struggle with anything smaller than 72-point bold type, and that they reprint their instructions and menus to suit.
This brings me nicely to the dashboard of the new Citro‘n C5. My demonstrator had a 7in 16:9 television screen with a built-in GSM telephone, a radio, a CD player, iPod connectivity, a 10GB hard drive to store music and GPS navigation with traffic alerts and a birdÕs-eye-view map.
In addition, there was an electronic parking brake (complete with a system that prevents the car rolling back on hill starts), cruise control and an adjustable speed limiter. And then, in no particular order, I had parking sensors, electrically adjusted seats that vibrate if you stray out of your lane, directional headlamps, switchable suspension, ride-height adjustment, traction control, a dual-zone air-conditioning system, hazard warning lights that come on when you brake hard, an electronic stability program, an electrochrome rear-view mirror, rain-sensing wipers, dark-sensing headlamps, a trip computer, a tyre-pressure monitor . . .
This car made a Mercedes S-class look like the back end of a Cornish cave, and while thatÕs wonderful, unfortunately all of these things have to be operated with buttons that are mostly the size of pinheads because thatÕs the only way they can get them all in. It is therefore impossible to find them and even more impossible to read what any of them do, at least not without reaching for your reading glasses, which is tricky when youÕre on the move.
Honestly, in a whole week I was unable to activate the sat nav, and any attempt to set the cruise control usually resulted in Ken Bruce being replaced by traction control. To operate the horn you ideally need a head torch and a cocktail stick.
However, I could clearly see that the new C5 was a very handsome car. It sits among other four-door saloons Š from BMW, Audi, Ford, Honda and so on Š looking much like Angelina Jolie would while sitting in a Wakefield bus queue.
WhatÕs more, we are told itÕs no longer built by uninterested Algerians in a factory made from straw, and that as a result it is somehow German. Obviously thereÕs no way of knowing at this stage whether any of this is true, but I doubt that it is. The French have never been able to make a car that lasts, any more than the Germans have been able to make a soufflˇ.
What is certain is that the C5 is more comfortable than any German rival. My test car had hydropneumatic suspension, which really does isolate you from the pain of a badly made road. It also means it handles like a blancmange, although to get round that problem you can reach for the ŅsportÓ button Š which turns on the CD player.
I liked driving this car. I liked looking at it. I liked the sheer surprise of pressing a button and then trying to work out what IÕd done. ThereÕs one obstacle, however, that IÕd have to jump before I signed on the dotted line.
In the past few years Citro‘n has struggled to make its products popular in Britain. Or indeed anywhere where people walk on their back legs. So, to get round that, itÕs indulged in a business strategy that most experts would call Ņa bit daftÓ.
First, it has offered its cars at enticingly low prices and then garnished them with cashbacks, 0% finance and the promise of a Thai massage for everyone buying one before the end of May. I sometimes get the impression there are so many incentives on a Citro‘n C3, for example, that if you buy one the dealer will give you £40. And some of his daughters.
Of course, this policy doesnÕt really work for you because if you can buy a Citro‘n new for minus £40, whatÕs it going to be worth when you want to sell? And obviously it doesnÕt work for Citro‘n either, but that hasnÕt stopped the company. In about five minutes I found a Citro‘n dealer willing to offer me a new C5 with well over a thousand quid knocked off its list price.
By Jeremy Clarkson.
